Top 5 Factors for Career Options in India

Life is full of choices and a result of the decisions we make of them. The choice of our career is an inevitable decision we make as a student, as it determines the outcomes of our future. A career is not just the result of our education but an interesting mix of our interests, skills, personality, ambition, job availability, job satisfaction, pay scale, and definition of success.

The difference between making the right choices from the wrong ones is little. Students across the globe have been making the same decisions for their careers at relatively the same age as you. Let’s take a look at the 5 factors to keep in mind while choosing a career which is the biggest decision of your life.

Interest, Passion & Skills

The first of the five factors to keep in mind while choosing a career is interest, passion and skills. One couldn’t emphasise enough the importance of identifying the passion and interest to be the foundation of a career. Any career choice made solely by influence or following someone else’s footsteps because it worked out well for them should never be the underlying motive behind making your career decisions.

Think about what excites you? What are the things that you are genuinely interested in and could spend every day of your life learning more about? It could be unconventional and out of box, but matched with your skills and strengths can surprise you with tangible outcomes. On the other hand, think about what you are uncomfortable with. If you hate numbers but are inquisitive and love finding loopholes- there are numerous opportunities that you can explore. Your hobbies are the greatest reflection of your interests because of your love for them and the time you spend on them.

Your individual skills and abilities are key characteristics to take into consideration when you look at the kind of career you wish to pursue. Ask yourself questions, as many of them as possible:

• Would you consider yourself to be creative or analytical?
• Are you a people person or do you prefer working alone?
• Do you work better in a strict routine or prefer flexibility in your day?
• Is a corporate role a better fit (rules and deadlines) or do you prefer entrepreneurship (flexibility to be your own boss)?
• Are you a confident speaker or a better listener?
• Do you adore working with information, numbers, and ideas?

Academic Strengths and Preferences

Your interests are a huge motivating factor in knowing what you would be excited to work with, but unfortunately, that alone is not enough in choosing the best career path for you. When looking at how to choose a career, it is important to understand your academic strengths and weaknesses too. This is the second factor to keep in mind when choosing a career.

Students in India are more inclined towards engineering, medicine, and management courses as they are regarded as the highest paying career options. The trend to follow the herd has continued for decades with a rapid shift seen in the last two. Students are slowly leaning towards diversification not only in the technical domains but developing their skills in the creative fields too.

With the increase of career counselling opportunities in the country, students are now able to distinguish between their academic achievements, their innate abilities and love for one subject over the other. Identifying subject streams based on skills and interests have increasingly helped students pick better courses.

For example, if you have always been inclined towards helping people and contributing to society but don’t do well with the sciences, options like Psychology and Social work could be good career options for you to explore. Three main subject streams to narrow down the interest areas are given below. However, you could create a combination of all three with the help of the newly introduced Liberal Arts.

Three main subject streams:

• Science
• Commerce
• Humanities

Job Availability, Industry Culture, and Future Prospects

The economic conditions around the world keep ebbing and flowing with time. While some professions sail the tide quite easily, some others have to face the tests of time. Careers need to be chosen taking into consideration the prospects, the scope, and availability in the country and also the culture of the industry you choose to work in. Changing technology plays an massive role in affecting the future of certain professions- think about the airline industry and you will know what we are talking about!

Professions that come with hype often have a backstory you aren’t aware of. You may be intrigued by the world of fashion and glamour, but their unruly work hours and physical demands from the job may not be something your personality can meet. The same goes with healthcare and laborious jobs where your physical stamina and mental grit play important roles of sustenance not just through your years of learning but the time to come.

It’s not just about the hours you dedicate but also the environment you choose to spend a large part of your day in and in turn a major chunk of your life in. The best professions in the world have their culture and values attached to the job. This can either be the greatest source of job satisfaction or your greatest dilemma depending on your fitment with the task. Getting a realistic insight into the deepest and darkest secrets through independent research and internships can be a way of determining if your value system matches the demands of the profession you are looking to make your career.

Job availability, industry culture and prospects constitute the third factor to keep in mind while choosing a career as it’s a life time decision that could impact the way you live and work.

Pay

Making money to meet your needs and then some more is the ultimate goal of any career. While it is one of the crucial factors in determining your career choices, it should never be the only one dictating your choices. Defining your goals and the intention behind them helps you determine whether you are working only for that paycheck at the end of the month or spending all your time, effort and energy on something you are passionate about.

The questions to ask yourself are whether you are chasing behind the most respected professions and highest paying careers or choosing a career to match your passion and ambition. The right remuneration will always follow good work and experience. Upskilling while pursuing your mainstream course and even while you work goes a long way, helping you keep up with the changing trends and needs of the industry. Getting a good pay package along with a higher designation should be an important marker on your checklist but not the ultimate deciding factor for your career preferences.

Your Priorities

When choosing a career, one important factor is keeping sight of meeting the long and short-term goals set out by you. The ultimate goal needs to match your ambition and your idea of success. Both of these terms mean differently to different people, so you need to figure out what they mean to you. Some questions to ask are - is it just the paycheck and a secure retirement plan or does it mean your contribution to the welfare of society?

Conclusion

Creating an effective work-life balance should be on the list of priorities. Understanding how you intend to bring about that balance is what you should consider. While they sound like decisions that can be left for the future, outlining an idea about your priorities, your idea of success, and the definition of a well-rounded career will save you from a lot of unwanted worries, time, and money in the future!

Choosing a career with these 5 factors in mind makes it an easy task as they encompass all areas that need to be considered for a lifetime decision that not just defines your present but your future.